[Leica] a morning walk

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

It doesn't matter how many pixels died in the making of a few images; one
reason digital works so well.   That and 600+ images on a large card or
200+ on safer smaller cards instead of rewind at 36.

Unfortunately for me the detail coming from your 600 may pave the way for
an acrimonious discussion with SWMBO.

On Wed, Mar 10, 2021, 12:20 PM Douglas Herr via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
wrote:

> I spent yesterday morning at a river floodplain re-purposed as a nature
> study area with plentiful walking trails and wildlife.  One of the first
> birds I found was a cooperative pair of California Towhees, munching on
> filaree seeds.  By waiting quietly I was able to test the minimum focus
> distance of the 600mm lens:
>
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/melozone/crissalis/melcri19.html
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/melozone/crissalis/melcri16.html
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/melozone/crissalis/melcri20.html
>
> a side benefit of all this quiet waiting was a Hermit Thrush in a nearby
> bush who un-skulked long enough for a few quick exposures:
>
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/turdidae/catharus/guttatus/catgut02.html
>
> I then walked through the floodplain to an area with dense brush, perfect
> habitat for a Spotted Towhee:
>
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/pipilo/maculatus/pipmac21.html
>
> Towhees are basically a large sparrow and both the California Towhee and
> Spotted Towhee are often found in suburban yards; this two-for (on a
> Tuesday) in wilder habitat was a first for me.
>
> Having adequately and delightfully spent the morning with these birds in
> glorious overcast light I felt that I had used the day well, and with an
> eye on the thickening cloud cover I packed the camera and started to head
> home, but wait!  What was that in those distant trees?  It looks like a
> woodpecker, near the area where last year both Acorn Woodpeckers and
> Nuttall's Woodpeckers had nest cavities.  I unpacked the camera and walked
> over to investigate the activity.
>
> Turns out the woodpecker was neither Acorn nor Nuttall's: it was a
> Red-breasted Sapsucker visiting the lowlands for the winter.  The sapsucker
> drills little sap wells in the bark of trees, returning periodically to
> check for sweet sap and any insects that may have been attracted to it.
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub09.html
>
> This bird spent most of its time in one tree and was quite cooperative
> allowing this onlooker to expose a few billion pixels.  The bird's M.O. was
> to start on the lower trunk, working its way up to the higher limbs,
> drilling new sap wells as it saw fit, and checking on the older sap wells
>
> going up the trunk:
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub11.html
>
> checking sap wells on the other side
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub08.html
>
> new sap wells on a higher limb
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub12.html
>
> oooh! nice sticky sap
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub10.html
>
> equipment: "Leica" alpha 7rIII, "Leica" 600mm f/4 GM, big tripod.
>
> With all of these birds, the camera's autofocus system struggled to lock
> onto the bird so I often used center point focus (not my fav) and ended up
> deleting a lot of images.  Demonstrations of the new alpha 1's Bird Eye AF
> look promising.  My wallet is quaking in fear.
>
> As usual, all comments are welcome.
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>
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